diff --git a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/AssociationContext.java b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/AssociationContext.java
index b3659f317..7d28013aa 100755
--- a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/AssociationContext.java
+++ b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/AssociationContext.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ public abstract class AssociationContext<X,Y> {
     protected List<Map<Sample,Y>> window;
     private int size;
     private int slide;
+    protected double zVal;
 
     public AssociationContext() {
     }
@@ -42,6 +43,7 @@ public abstract class AssociationContext<X,Y> {
         size = walker.windowSize;
         slide = walker.slideBy;
         window = new ArrayList<Map<Sample,Y>>(size);
+        zVal = walker.zVal;
     }
 
     public Map<Sample,Object> mapLocus(MapExtender extender) {
diff --git a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/AssociationTestRunner.java b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/AssociationTestRunner.java
index f583429b8..b353e145c 100755
--- a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/AssociationTestRunner.java
+++ b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/AssociationTestRunner.java
@@ -42,10 +42,12 @@ public class AssociationTestRunner {
         return Math.min((int) Math.floor(QualityUtils.phredScaleErrorRate(p)),MAX_Q_VALUE);
     }
 
-    public static Pair<Double,Pair<Double,Integer>> getTestValues(AssociationContext context) {
+    public static Pair<Pair<Double,Double>,Pair<Double,Integer>> getTestValues(AssociationContext context) {
         if ( context instanceof StatisticalTest ) {
             Pair<Double,Double> statAndP = ((StatisticalTest) context).getStatisticAndPValue();
-            return new Pair<Double,Pair<Double,Integer>>(statAndP.first,
+            Double delta = ((StatisticalTest) context).getZConfDelta();
+            return new Pair<Pair<Double,Double>,Pair<Double,Integer>>(
+                    new Pair<Double,Double>(statAndP.first,delta),
                     new Pair<Double,Integer>(statAndP.second,pToQ(statAndP.second)));
         }
 
@@ -54,10 +56,10 @@ public class AssociationTestRunner {
 
     public static String runTests(AssociationContext context) {
         if ( context instanceof StatisticalTest ) {
-            Pair<Double,Pair<Double,Integer>> results = getTestValues(context);
-            return String.format("%s: %.2f\tP: %.2e\tQ: %d",
+            Pair<Pair<Double,Double>,Pair<Double,Integer>> results = getTestValues(context);
+            return String.format("%s: %.2f\tD: %.2f\tP: %.2e\tQ: %d",
                     ((StatisticalTest) context).getStatisticName() ,
-                    results.first,results.second.first,results.second.second);
+                    results.first.first,results.first.second,results.second.first,results.second.second);
         }
 
         return null;
diff --git a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/RegionalAssociationHandler.java b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/RegionalAssociationHandler.java
index 9baa30e95..21a26388d 100755
--- a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/RegionalAssociationHandler.java
+++ b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/RegionalAssociationHandler.java
@@ -62,14 +62,14 @@ public class RegionalAssociationHandler {
         // todo -- maybe the tdf should be the whole window rather than just the most recent loc?
         String outVal;
         if ( bedGraphFormat ) {
-            Pair<Double,Pair<Double,Integer>> statVals = AssociationTestRunner.getTestValues(context);
+            Pair<Pair<Double,Double>,Pair<Double,Integer>> statVals = AssociationTestRunner.getTestValues(context);
             Pair<Double,Double> simpleDichotVals = AssociationTestRunner.getDichotomizedValues(context);
-            outVal = String.format("%.2f\t%.2e\t%d\t%.2f\t%.2f",statVals.first,statVals.second.first,statVals.second.second,
-                    simpleDichotVals.first,simpleDichotVals.second);
+            outVal = String.format("%.2f\t%.2f\t%.2e\t%d\t%.2f\t%.2f",statVals.first.first,statVals.first.second,
+                    statVals.second.first,statVals.second.second,simpleDichotVals.first,simpleDichotVals.second);
         } else {
             outVal = AssociationTestRunner.runTests(context);
             Pair<Double,Double> simpleDichotVals = AssociationTestRunner.getDichotomizedValues(context);
-            outVal += String.format("\tD: %.2f\tLogD: %.2f",simpleDichotVals.first,simpleDichotVals.second);
+            outVal += String.format("\tDi: %.2f\tLogDi: %.2f",simpleDichotVals.first,simpleDichotVals.second);
         }
         return String.format("%s\t%d\t%d\t%s",maps.getReferenceContext().getLocus().getContig(),
                 maps.getReferenceContext().getLocus().getStart()-context.getWindowSize()-1,maps.getReferenceContext().getLocus().getStart()+1, outVal);
diff --git a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/RegionalAssociationWalker.java b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/RegionalAssociationWalker.java
index 9595861b0..dec7d2808 100755
--- a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/RegionalAssociationWalker.java
+++ b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/RegionalAssociationWalker.java
@@ -41,6 +41,10 @@ public class RegionalAssociationWalker extends LocusWalker<MapHolder, RegionalAs
     public int windowSize = 50;
     @Argument(doc="Set the window sliding value for associations to this value",shortName="s",fullName="slide",required=false)
     public int slideBy = 10;
+    @Argument(doc="Set the exercise-wide constant Z-value for delta-measure",shortName="z",fullName="zValue",required=false)
+    public double zVal = 6.0;
+    // for now apply this to t-tests too -- though df means the percentile is not constant, most
+    // dfs are large, so it doesn't really vary all that much
 
     @Output
     @Multiplex(value=RegionalAssociationMultiplexer.class,arguments={"associationsToUse","bedGraph"})
diff --git a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/modules/casecontrol/ProportionTest.java b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/modules/casecontrol/ProportionTest.java
index 1204ff39e..b39dd5174 100755
--- a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/modules/casecontrol/ProportionTest.java
+++ b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/modules/casecontrol/ProportionTest.java
@@ -66,6 +66,26 @@ public abstract class ProportionTest extends CaseControl<Pair<Number,Number>> im
         return new Pair<Double,Double>(z,p);
     }
 
+    // todo -- this is a temporary method, it needs to be merged in with others if it proves useful
+    public Double getZConfDelta() {
+        Map<CaseControl.Cohort,Pair<Number,Number>> caseControlCounts = getCaseControl();
+        if ( caseControlCounts == null || caseControlCounts.get(CaseControl.Cohort.CASE) == null || caseControlCounts.get(CaseControl.Cohort.CONTROL) == null ) {
+            return Double.NaN;
+        }
+        double pCase = caseControlCounts.get(CaseControl.Cohort.CASE).first.doubleValue()/caseControlCounts.get(CaseControl.Cohort.CASE).second.doubleValue();
+        double pControl = caseControlCounts.get(CaseControl.Cohort.CONTROL).first.doubleValue()/caseControlCounts.get(CaseControl.Cohort.CONTROL).second.doubleValue();
+        double nCase = caseControlCounts.get(CaseControl.Cohort.CASE).second.doubleValue();
+        double nControl = caseControlCounts.get(CaseControl.Cohort.CONTROL).second.doubleValue();
+
+        double p2 = (caseControlCounts.get(CaseControl.Cohort.CASE).first.doubleValue()+caseControlCounts.get(CaseControl.Cohort.CONTROL).first.doubleValue())/
+                (caseControlCounts.get(CaseControl.Cohort.CASE).second.doubleValue()+caseControlCounts.get(CaseControl.Cohort.CONTROL).second.doubleValue());
+        double se = Math.sqrt(p2*(1-p2)*(1/nCase + 1/nControl));
+
+        double z = (pCase-pControl)/se;
+
+        return ( z < 0 ? -1.0*se*(z-zVal) : se*(z-zVal));
+    }
+
     public String getStatisticName() { return "Z"; }
 
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/modules/casecontrol/ValueTest.java b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/modules/casecontrol/ValueTest.java
index 5082e6f2f..0c344bb63 100755
--- a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/modules/casecontrol/ValueTest.java
+++ b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/modules/casecontrol/ValueTest.java
@@ -100,4 +100,22 @@ public abstract class ValueTest extends CaseControl<Collection<Number>> implemen
         return new Pair<Double,Double>(t,p);
     }
 
+    public Double getZConfDelta() {
+        Map<CaseControl.Cohort,Collection<Number>> caseControlVectors = getCaseControl();
+        if ( caseControlVectors == null || caseControlVectors.get(CaseControl.Cohort.CASE) == null || caseControlVectors.get(CaseControl.Cohort.CONTROL) == null ) {
+            return Double.NaN;
+        }
+        double meanCase = MathUtils.average(caseControlVectors.get(CaseControl.Cohort.CASE),true);
+        double varCase = MathUtils.variance(caseControlVectors.get(CaseControl.Cohort.CASE),meanCase,true);
+        double nCase =  caseControlVectors.get(CaseControl.Cohort.CASE).size();
+        double meanControl = MathUtils.average(caseControlVectors.get(CaseControl.Cohort.CONTROL),true);
+        double varControl =  MathUtils.variance(caseControlVectors.get(CaseControl.Cohort.CONTROL),meanControl,true);
+        double nControl = caseControlVectors.get(CaseControl.Cohort.CONTROL).size();
+        double dnom = Math.sqrt(varCase/nCase+varControl/nControl);
+
+        double t = (meanCase-meanControl)/dnom;
+
+        return ( t < 0 ? -1.0*dnom*(t-zVal) : dnom*(t-zVal));
+    }
+
 }
diff --git a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/statistics/StatisticalTest.java b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/statistics/StatisticalTest.java
index 50ee8ad05..f3b66ca3f 100755
--- a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/statistics/StatisticalTest.java
+++ b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/oneoffprojects/walkers/association/statistics/StatisticalTest.java
@@ -12,4 +12,5 @@ import org.broadinstitute.sting.utils.collections.Pair;
 public interface StatisticalTest {
     public abstract Pair<Double,Double> getStatisticAndPValue();
     public abstract String getStatisticName();
+    public abstract Double getZConfDelta();
 }